The invention relates to reproduction machines, and more particularly, to a system for identifying conflicts when programming reproduction machines.
Reproduction machines such as copiers and printers have become faster and more complex and versatile in the jobs they can do, presenting numerous and varied job programming selections numbering in the hundreds. Still, these machines must accommodate various operator skill levels ranging from the dedicated user at one extreme to the casual user at the other extreme.
When programming jobs on machines of this type, and particularly when programming long and complex jobs having many documents to process, it is possible and in some cases likely that programming conflicts will be introduced. This is especially true in cases where the operator lacks experience and training or is a casual operator not totally familiar with the machine. These programming conflicts are particularly common in cases where the job itself calls for special exceptions and features for certain pages in the job which are different from the main job program involving the bulk of the documents.
Where a conflict in the job program occurs and is not detected prior to running the job, the machine stops when it detects the conflict. This, of course, delays the job while the conflict is being corrected. In a high speed production environment handling many jobs, not only is the job being processed delayed but other jobs queued behind the job for processing are delayed. And if several programming conflicts exist, there may result a series of interruptions, further reducing throughput, increasing costs, and operator frustration and irritability.
In this context, the user interface between the machine and the operator, which in essence serves as the conduit for dialogue (i.e., the ability to talk) between operator and machine, becomes particularly important since it can serve not only the programming function but also act as the means for identifying to the user any programming conflicts that have been made before the job is run. One type of user interface admirably suited for this purpose is a touch screen where the various programming selections are displayed in the form of icons or pictograms along with instructional text messages. However, the amount of information that can be reasonably displayed on the limited size screen of a touch screen reduces its ability to identify conflicts, particularly where a substantial number of conflicts have occurred during programming the job. Thus, even where a touch screen with icons and text displays is used, the number and complexity of the conflicts that occur when programming a job may overwhelm the touch screen's limited abilities to identify and display the conflicts.
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,250 to Childress discloses a data entry system employing a data entry screen in which data that is entered incorrectly is highlighted to provide an indication to the user as to whether or not the data entered is correct or not. And U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,881 to Zingher discloses a data input system for printing machines employing a color monitor in which a diagram of the machine is displayed, with a fault detecting and fixing program which on detection of a fault, displays the fault on the diagram, activates an alarm (where immediate operator attention is required), and provides corrective prompts for remedying the fault condition. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,464 to Bartulis et al discloses an interactive interface for programming copiers/duplicators employing a touch screen with icon displays representing various program selections. The Bartulis et al patent relates to the Xerox 5700 reproduction machine (Xerox and Xerox 5700 are registered Trademarks of Xerox Corporation) in which the interface provides operator messages identifying contradictory or invalid operator selections as described in pages 2-1 to 2-5 and Appendix B of the "Xerox 5700 Electronic Printing Systems: Reference Manual" (September, 1980). And, in a somewhat non-analogous field, U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,314 to Slater et al discloses a control process for an industrial plant in which a color touch screen with icon display is used for inputting data through touching of selected icons displayed on the screen, the display highlighting on the screen operating parameters that have been in an `alarm` state.